Prizewinning young cellist takes a bow

In 2019, cellist Zlatomir Fung’s gold medal at the quadrennial Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow put the young American artist onto the radar of music lovers worldwide — all except those who had already witnessed his victory in San Francisco’s Irving M. Klein International String Competition five years earlier, when he was just 15.

Now, Fung is due to give a Berkeley recital alongside pianist Janice Carissa, with a program that speaks just as well for his imagination as his artistry. Selections from Charles Ives “114 Songs,” a landmark of 20th century American music, open the show in arrangements for cello and piano.

Fung and Carissa also promise music by the British composer Judith Weir — a set of pieces based on American folk songs — and the late African American composer George Walker. Works by Dvorák and Beethoven hold up the more familiar side of things.

Zlatomir Fung: With pianist Janice Carissa. 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20. $62. Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley. 510-642-9988. www.calperformances.org

Provided by Zlatomir Fung